Why Move Away from Old Wallet.dat?

It’s clear why new wallet.dat is better: descriptors come with cool features like PSBT, easy watch-only wallets, plus no backups needed since you get new addresses automatically. But where's the proof that these new wallets are safer? All I hear is "you need to leak your xpub" but that doesn't make me feel secure.

But like, can you explain how they’re less safe? I mean leaking your xpub isn’t the end of the world. That’s like putting all your addresses out there, which most people wouldn’t do by accident. You can’t stop users from screwing up their seed phrases, so what’s the difference?

The legacy format has its own set of problems that seem bigger than any downsides of the new format.

True, but it’s still easier for an attacker with legacy wallets. They only need a smaller amount of data to get access compared to HD wallets.

You’re mixing things up. There’s a clear difference. If someone compromises a legacy wallet.dat, they get everything. With an HD wallet, it’s just one key. Even if your xpub leaks, if you’re using hardened derivation, you’re fine.

Managing keys with legacy wallet.dat is way more straightforward if you don't trust HD wallets. Let’s face it, it’s a hassle to create a new wallet.dat for each address.

I didn’t say old wallets are perfect. But it’s an option; no one’s forcing you into anything. If you really hate it, build your own wallet.

Why should I have to go that far? I’m just asking why Core pushes this change without clear explanations.

Look up technological debt. It’s a valid reason to move on.

So what’s next then? Are they gonna drop base58 support?

Maintaining old code is a nightmare for developers. No one wants to handle bugs from an outdated database.

But base58 is not even enforced by consensus. We could switch everything to base16 and it would work. Easy as that.

That’s a terrible idea. We need base58, not getting rid of it. This mess started with segwit anyway.

You’re missing the point. Less bits required to steal funds from HD wallets doesn’t mean they’re not easier to use.

But should we bring back P2PK? It was used in early blocks.

Sure, but remember, HD wallets expand a single key deterministically. If someone breaks that key, they access everything.

Stop spreading false claims. If you think maintaining Bitcoin Core is easy, then go and do it yourself.

Anyone remember the transaction malleability issue before SegWit? This is a huge deal.

Yeah, but legacy addresses can still be used. If they were really unsafe, they’d be completely eliminated.

P2PKH is safer for sure. But if you’re okay with a single point of failure like a compromised seed, that’s your call.